My story of postpartum preeclampsia

   So.... I left off with Easton's birth story with us at home recovering from a pretty traumatic birth. When I wrote that last post I had no idea what I was going to go through.

     I had a check up with my midwife since it had been a week since we had been out of the hospital. I think that was a Wendsday or a Thursday. Honestly, the past 3 weeks have been a blur. But she came for her visit and when she checked my blood pressure it was a tad high( especially for me). So she called the hospital where I delivered and the ob on call basically said it wasn't high enough to be too concerned and we should just watch it. So that's what we did.
       Friday my son who is married came over to finally get to see the baby because he had been sick. I wasn't really feeling too good and my blood pressure kept going up which is so odd for me. My normal is like 90/60 or thereabouts. Finally my husband just told me to go to bed that I probably was just tired and needed sleep. When we laid down my legs started tingling and getting numb. It scared me so I got up and went to the bathroom and when I was coming out of the bathroom everything on my body got numb and I just saw black. I told my husband to call 911. It was such a scary feeling! One that I never want to feel again. That 9-12 minutes it took for the ambulance to get here seemed like hours. My blood pressure was 188/116. We were taken to a local hospital where we spent over 5 hours( all night) and really didn't get any help. We were sent home at 5 am.

    My husband had a prior commitment at our church for something our church does so he just stayed up when we got home and had my son's fiance come stay with me while he went and took our boys. I was fine for a while but then I started feeling bad again and my blood pressure was going back up. So to make a long story a bit shorter my midwife called the hospital where I delivered and talked with them and they told me to go straight there by ambulance. An hour and a half by ambulance is a long ride. When we did arrive there I had to go through the er so went through the same thing I had at the other er. We found out later they wanted me to go through er because they didn't know I already had a ct of my head.

   I finally was admitted. My incision was infected,  I had a uti, and the postpartum preeclampsia.  They started magnesium which I had to be on 24 hours. It makes you feel yucky, kind of like you have the flu. I had did pretty well while on it but when I was almost done my blood pressure went back up. My sweet nurse from when I had Easton was there visiting with me right at that time. She finally got me on the right road. I know God definitely put her in our path. Blood pressure meds were started. Also discovered probable postpartum depression so working on that as well. So a few more days in the hospital and then I got to go back home! It was so hard being in the hospital away from Easton but there was no way I could've taken care of him with how I felt and Billy had not sleep.
 
     Since being home we've had a couple scares but I think it was just my medicine hadn't gotten fully in my system. The last few days I've done much better each day. Praying so much it continues! Still don't feel like myself , still have some things going on like heart racing some and fingers tingling but I think my body is trying to just process everything and then the meds. After I do get better I've got a lot to process but for now I just try not to think of any of it. I thank God I made it through a placental abruption,  c section,  postpartum preeclampsia,  etc... So thankful for the sweet people that have come along side me and my family as well. I'll never forget the kindness shown. Please keep the prayers coming for the days to come.

Easton's birth story continues

Well I thought the last post was the last of the birth part and more just trying to cope with my c section but was I so wrong. I am not yet ready to blog about what I just went through but in time I will. Mainly because there definitely needs to be more awareness because had the right people not been in the exact right place for me this story could very well be so different.
More to come soon....thanks for all the prayers!

Baby #13 birth story A Miracle Baby ( Part 3)

     
          We left off where I was still in OR . I started to get so cold and then they wheeled me to recovery where it was so warm and felt so good! It felt like I was in recovery forever. No idea how long I actually was. Finally they let my midwife back to see me and then my husband and and sweet nurse came back. The nurse was explaining to us everything that went on and how she knew I probably had an abruption going on when I made the decision for the c section.

        Next they were wheeling me down finally to see my precious baby. Of course it was love at first sight and I longed for the time I could hold him. I spent a little while with him and they took me to my room where my mom and older daughter was waiting. My sister and brother in law came to visit.  Seemed we waited forever for them to bring our sweet Easton to us. My sister had to leave before he was brought in.  It was a very emotional time for everyone when he was finally brought in.

        Honestly the days in the hospital after that were a blur. From severe pain from c section,  to jaundice and Easton having to be under lights, to breastfeeding not working out, etc... We were so glad when they told us we were getting to go home that Wendsday! Arriving home was amazing and scary.

      Everything was just healing now. But then when I woke up that Saturday morning after being home for 3 days and my bandage was full of blood. After waiting 3 hours for the hospital to call me back after I had called 3 times they just said to change bandage and watch it. Talk about adding to the traumatic delivery. It still is oozing to this day but no infection and the section looks good. Also my feet had been totally swollen. It's just been a rough recovery.

      Now here we are 1.5 weeks out from c section and my blood pressure has started acting up and I've started having headaches. I just want to recover and enjoy my baby boy!

      I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and love shown to my family. The cards, the gifts,the meals, and the encouragement!!! I am just trying to digest everything that has happened and cope with it. I know it's been hard on my family too! Keep the prayers going and again thanks everyone. Also God is so so very good! We can look back and see Him in every step.  And we are very thankful for Northeast Georgia Medical Center, they treated us like royalty where most hospitals would of been nasty because we were trying a homebirth.

Baby #13 birth story A Miracle Baby (Part 2)

  So we left off with my water breaking and nobody was in the house. I was sitting on the couch and it was pop and the flood gates opened. I frantically called my husband, my midwife, and then my mom. I have never had my water to break and it's always been broke and then baby was born. So.... fully expecting horrible contractions and a baby very soon. My husband and mom were here in no time knowing my history. But there was no contractions.  Midwife assistant and family friend arrived and kept me calm and when midwife arrived and I was checked I was 4 cm and she said i had made a good change from 2 days before. But then the hours dragged on. I sat on the birthing ball, walked and walked, drank red raspberry leaf tea,  walked some more. My water broke at 10 am and here it was night approaching and no contractions.  It was so strange and I kept saying it was. When I was checked it wasnt really uncomfortable and I never felt that pressure of his head. I just knew it wasnt right. Night came and went and hubby and I walked in the misting rain to try to get our homebirth going so we could have the homebirth we so wanted. 24 hours approached and the devastation set in that this was not going to be a homebirth.

        My midwife called around to hospitals and most were not nice and said if we came in I would go right back to have a c section.  Then she talked with a nurse named Tasha at Northeast Ga Medical center and she was so friendly and assured us I could have the natural birth we wanted. When we arrived they had me the best room and took us right back. They were so nice. Even the ob was so super sweet. They had grabbed the monitor for the baby so I could walk around and be free from cords. The hospital has only 2. After steady contractions and everybody just sure I made progress I was checked again and still like 6 so I decided to get in the tub. It felt sooooo good but it wasnt long before things took a bad turn. 

       After being in the bathtub no time at all Easton's heart rate dropped.  With every contraction it dropped. They came in turning me this way and that. I finally said I'll just get out of the tub. So dryed off , dressed, and got in bed. Same thing. His heartrate continued to go down with each contraction.  Again roll to this side and that side. Then they wanted me to get on hands and knees and by this time contractions were a minute a part( which afterwards the nurse said really concerned them because it's an indication of placental abruption). Finally something just came over me and I said , "I'm done". Everyone was like done, what do you mean. I said get him out. I don't know what came over me. Anyone that knows me knows I said I'd never go through another c section( had emergency c section with the twins). The nurse was like , " you mean a c section"? I said , yes! Get him out. Everything from that is kind of a blur.

      Being wheeled into the OR I was so scared. I went from the thought of a beautiful homebirth to this. A C section! They started placing my epidural when she hit the wrong nerve and my left leg shot up and it felt like lightening went through my leg. Surely wasnt a great start. Finally got the epidural in place,  laid back, and I could feel them beginning and Billy wasnt even in the room yet. He finally came in and by that time I was shaking uncontrollably from the meds. It's a out of body feeling really. They got Easton out quickly and he wasnt breathing. The nurse came over and said I sure knew my body and that I had made the right decision because when they opened me up my placenta kind of just came out( placental abruption). Also the cord was wrapped all around him. Seemed like it took forever for him to breathe and nobody was answering me if he was ok. His apgar score at 1 minute was a 2!

     Finally he started trying to cry . After they got him stable they brought him over so I could have some skin to skin with him. And then whisked him away and of course hubby went with him. There I was very traumatized and everything was so fast. Then someone else came over and told me 3-5 more minutes and he wouldnt have made it and I would of been close. We both almost were not here.

  Part 3 coming soon

Baby #13 birth story A Miracle Baby (Part 1)

    I want to tell my birth story so others will know the goodness of God but also so I can process everything. This pregnancy started out rocky. Before it I had 2 miscarriages. The second being pretty rough for me physically and emotionally because we saw a heartbeat and then next ultrasound it was gone, most likely caused by a subchoronic hemmorage.

    Then we got pregnant with Easton and first ultrasound showed subchoronic hemorrhage as well but his heart rate was better than previous baby. By 16 weeks the hemmorage was gone! On the way to that ultrasound I will never forget it was a rainbow. When I saw it I just knew the baby would be ok.

    During all this the midwife I planned to use who did my last homebirth had already planned a Disney vacation for her family before I got pregnant.  She never could find a backup and she was to be gone the week I was due. And here again God steps in. A sweet little midwife was making her way back to Georgia from Minnesota.  We met and she became our midwife.

      This whole pregnancy i was filled with anxiety and dread. I had never ever been like that with any of my other pregnancies. My husband had lots of bad dreams. I had to constantly pray for God to calm me. And I constantly prayed that our baby would be ok. And everything was pretty normal the whole pregnancy.  Nothing too much out of the ordinary. At the end I started measuring a few weeks ahead but in my mind I was thinking big baby My midwife was thinking polyhydramnios. Which is the excessive accumulation of amniotic fluid and she was probably right.

        Our last visit with her was on Valentine's Day. So hubby and I got to go out to dinner. That was so nice! I love that man more than he will ever know. I had been having contractions all night since Valentine's day but they were just at night. When I got up they would be gone. That Saturday morning my husband didn't fish his fishing tournament but after fixing us some breakfast decided he would go fishing. Nothing was happening so I was like sure .  He left, kids went outside, and I sat down to just relax and watch TV. I had probably been sitting there 5-10 minutes and my water broke!!

 Part 2 coming soon

Are you weary?

  Of course most people can say from time to time that they are tired. Even kids get tired and need rest. But I am not talking about that kind of tired. I am talking about being weary and worn! I talk to so many friends that are battling things I wish I could just take from them. Of course I pray for them. I am talking about the weary and worn from this world beating us down. So much mean spirited people, so much hate, so much sadness. I am talking about the weary and worn so much you feel like you just cannot go on. The weary and worn where EVERY SINGLE bone in your body is tired. THAT is what I am talking about. It is easy to get into a funk and not be able to get out if we are not focusing on the right things. So, if you are the weary and worn I am talking about . Just plain tired out and struggling have I got good news for you.
       Many times we become weary and worn from trying to do life by ourselves. By being so prideful we think we can manage on our own. God never intended on us to do anything on our own. Goodness, isn't that why He sent Jesus! When you need to find your true JOY back just go to the scriptures. It is right there.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.

and my absolute favorite verse that has brought me so much comfort
2 Cor. 12:9
But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

  I know how you feel. I have been there. Especially when I was struggling with my health and during my pregnancy loses but many times I look and I was trying to do it all in my own strength. I find when I make time for prayer and bible study my life is so much better for it. God wants your time and after all He gives us can't we just give Him that. And we actually benefit from it. If you need prayer I would love to pray for you or your family. Just leave me a comment and I will add you to my prayer list during my prayer time. Speaking of prayer time for me sometimes that happens in the quite but sometimes not. I try to pray wherever I am at. Even my favorite spot- in the bathtub or while up rocking a baby. God bless you all and remember spread kindness because you never know what someone is going through.

It has been awhile!

     I used to love to blog. I used to do it very often but family and priorities and life have got in the way. Not really bad things but I am going to try to start blogging more for myself. I love to write. I love to go back and read about my life and things I have learned. Even if it was a time God knocked me flat on my rear. He will do that from time to time. You know that? And I am sure glad He does because pride is a ugly thing.
     Anyhow, so summer is here and our boys are finished with baseball so there is a bit more time during the week to just chill in the afternoons. We love our baseball but having free time is nice. Summer is still full activity for our family as we have camps, vacations , and just summer fun in general. There is always something going on with a large family.
       I am still with Scentsy. Love that company. Best customer service ever! Wanna check them out go here. https://tiffanyballard.scentsy.us/party/9365995/mystery-hostess-party
       And last but certainly not least we have an announcement to make. After our rough 2 miscarriages we are expecting again. Please pray everything will be ok. I know God has got this! And His plans are better than we could ever imagine. Also we have 1 of our oldest sons engaged already. Boy, it just flies so fast. Well, I have things to do but will write more . Blessings!